Lord Frost warned difficult issues remain on Northern Ireland s post-Brexit rules today after talks with EU counterpart Maros Sefcovic failed to achieve a breakthrough.
The Cabinet Office minister and the vice president of the European Commission met for dinner in Brussels last night amid hopes that they are inching towards a settlement.
The Northern Ireland protocol agreed by Boris Johnson and the EU has been blamed for fuelling recent violence on the streets of Belfast, with loyalists furious it hampers trade with mainland Britain.
A government spokesman said after the discussions that there is some positive momentum and there will be intensified contacts at all levels in the coming weeks .
UK Condemns Jailing of Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Activists
Britain has condemned the Hong Kong authorities’ sentencing of nine prominent pro-democracy activists on Friday for taking part in peaceful protests.
Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 14 months in prison, while nine other activists received jail time or suspended sentences for organising and participating in unauthorized assemblies during mass anti-Beijing, pro-democracy protests in 2019. (L-R) Alberto Ho and Yeung Sum leave the West Kowloon court building after being given suspended sentences in Hong Kong on April 16, 2021. (Song Pi-lung/The Epoch Times)
“The Hong Kong authorities’ decision to target leading pro-democracy figures for prosecution is unacceptable and must stop,” said a spokesperson for the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
Britain and United States accuse Russia of ‘Solar Winds’ cyber attack Robert Dex
Britain has accused Russia’s foreign intelligence service of being behind a major cyber attack on the west.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) assessed it was “highly likely” the SVR was responsible for the so-called SolarWinds hack.
It came as US President Joe Biden announced the expulsion of 10 Russian diplomats in response to the Kremlin’s interference in last year’s presidential election and the hacking of federal agencies.
In a statement, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Britain and the US were determined to stand against Russia’s “malign behaviour”.
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